1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for configuring servers using a removable storage device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A new trend in network and Internet computing is the use of a xe2x80x9cthin server.xe2x80x9d The xe2x80x9cthin serverxe2x80x9d is a small-profile hardware device that is bundled with software that provides a specific service or services. For example, a mail server may be considered a xe2x80x9cthin serverxe2x80x9d in that the mail server provides a specific service, administering electronic mail accounts. Other examples of xe2x80x9cthin serversxe2x80x9d include a print server, ISDN router or network attached storage (NAS).
The intention of using these thin servers is that the xe2x80x9cserver in a boxxe2x80x9d should be simple to install, configure, and maintain. The reality is that configuration is the bottleneck in the process that makes it difficult to achieve the intended result.
With known systems there are currently three methods by which a thin server can be configured. The first method requires the thin server to be configured using a keyboard and monitor directly attached to the thin server. This requires that the keyboard and monitor ports be included in the hardware, even though the intention is that once configured, direct access to the thin server will no longer be needed. The problem with this solution is that each device must be individually configured using a keyboard and monitor before being placed into production. This is a labor intensive activity and may involve additional handling of the thin server before it can be rack-mounted thereby increasing the possibility of accidental damage. This solution also increases the cost of the thin servers by requiring the additional hardware (keyboard and monitor) to be present even though the hardware is used only for configuration and is later not needed.
The second method of configuring a thin server involves performing the configuration using an LED panel and controls, e.g., push buttons, that are directly attached to the thin server. This requires that the hardware design include the additional cost of a front mounted input/output display console and the cost of embedding firmware to handle the configuration tasks. Another requirement is that the person has to be physically present at the device to enter configuration data. Again, the cost of the thin server is increased by requiring the additional hardware that is only used for configuration.
The third method of configuring a thin server involves performing the configuration remotely using a TCP/IP connection and a remote workstation. This enables the thin server to be configured without the need for additional hardware incorporated into the thin server. However, current approaches to this solution must deal with locating, connecting, and securing the thin server once it is plugged in and turned on.
Thus, it would be beneficial to have apparatus and methods for configuring thin servers that do not require additional hardware to be incorporated into the thin server. It would further be beneficial to have apparatus and methods for configuring multiple thin servers easily and efficiently without requiring additional hardware to be incorporated into the thin server and without encountering the problems of locating, connecting and securing the thin server.
The present invention provides apparatus and methods for server configuration using a removable storage device. The apparatus and methods include coupling a removable storage device reader to a server and inserting a removable storage device into the reader. The removable storage device includes configuration data that is used to configure the server. When power is supplied to the server, the server performs a boot-up sequence that includes uploading the configuration data from the removable storage device. In this way, the server is configured for use in a network.
In addition, the same removable storage device reader may be used to configure a plurality of servers. That is, the removable storage device reader is capable of being easily moved and coupled to a plurality of servers one after the other. The user may make use of the same removable storage device or different removable storage devices for each of the plurality of servers.
Furthermore, the user of the present invention is not required to have any technical knowledge regarding configuring server devices. Rather, the user merely need couple the removable storage device reader to the server, insert the removable storage device and supply power to the server. The server automatically uploads the configuration information from the removable storage device and configures itself using this configuration information.